What the World Book Says about Saint
Patrick, (about 389-461), is the patron saint of Ireland. Patrick was chiefly
responsible for converting the Irish people to Christianity. He became
known as the Apostle to the Irish. His name in Latin is Patricius.

His life. Patrick was born in Britain.
His father was a wealthy alderman and a Christian. When Patrick was 16
years old, pirates captured him during a raid and sold him as a slave in
Ireland. He served as a shepherd of an Irish chieftain in Ulster. During
his captivity, Patrick dedicated himself to religion. He escaped after
six years of slavery and returned to his home in Britain.

As a result of his experiences in
Ireland, Patrick became driven by the idea of converting the Irish to Christianity.
To prepare himself for that task, he studied in the monastery of Lerins,
on an island off the southeast coast of France. Patrick also went to Auxerre,
France, and studied religion under Saint Germanus, a French bishop. Partly
because Patrick's earlier education was inadequate, his religious superiors
were reluctant to let him return to Ireland as a missionary. But Palladius,
the first Irish missionary bishop, died in 431. Pope Celestine I then sent
Patrick to Ireland.

Patrick began his work in northern
and western Ireland, where no one had ever preached Christianity. He gained
the trust and friendship of several tribal leaders and soon made many converts.
Patrick is said to have founded more than 300 churches and baptized more
than 120,000 people.

Patrick brought clergymen from England
and France for his new churches. He succeeded in his mission in Ireland,
even though many British clergymen opposed him and the way he organized
his churches. Patrick preached in Ireland for the rest of his life.

His writings serve as the most important
sources of information about Patrick's life and work. During his later
years, he wrote Confession, an account of his spiritual development. Patrick
wrote this book to justify his mission to Ireland. In the book, Patrick
expressed his humility and thankfulness that God called him to serve the
Irish. Patrick also wrote Letter to Coroticus. In this letter, he criticized
a raid on Ireland conducted by Coroticus, a British chieftain. Several
of Patrick's converts were killed during the raid. The letter also shows
Patrick's resentment of the scornful attitude of British clergymen and
nobility toward the Irish.

Legends about Patrick. Many stories
about Patrick are based only on legend. One of the best-known tales tells
how he charmed the snakes of Ireland into the sea so they were drowned.
According to another legend, Patrick used a three-leaf shamrock to illustrate
the idea of the Trinity. Many people believe the shamrock came to be the
traditional symbol of Ireland as a result of this legend. Today, Irish
Catholics throughout the world celebrate Saint Patrick's Day on his feast
day, March 17

Saint Patrick brought Christianity
to Ireland in the A.D. 400's. The Irish accepted Christianity and
came to regard Patrick as their patron (guardian) saint. Today, his feast
day, March 17, is celebrated as a national holiday.

Saint Patrick also introduced the
Roman alphabet and Latin literature into Ireland. After his death, about
461, Irish monasteries flourished as centers of learning.